NBA History | Black History Month

Celtics' 1st Black Starting 5
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Celtics' 1st Black Starting 5

When a starting player was injured in 1964, Boston coach Red Aurebach had a choice to make in the face of an unwritten rule practiced since the NBA integrated; give his team what he felt was the best chance to win despite it meaning all the starters would be Black, or maintain the status quo of ensuring there was always one White player on the floor. Coach Auerbach chose Willie Naulls, creating the first all-Black starting five of the Celtics and the league. The choice paid off; they not only won the game but went on a 12-0 hot streak. The decision changed the course of history, though the Celtics regarded it as business as usual.

Lenny Wilkens: The Player's Coach
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Top 15 Coaches: Lenny Wilkens

Fans of the late 1960s and mid-1970s remember Lenny Wilkens as a tenacious, hot-shooting guard but the quietly determined player still earned a scholarship to Providence College. Wilkens had the uncanny court sense to serve as a player and coach simultaneously, logging three seasons with Seattle and one with Portland before moving on to concentrate solely on coaching. Wilkens utilized his knowledge and experience to methodically establish himself as one of the NBAs premier coaches. When the NBA celebrated its 50th Anniversary season in 1996-97, Wilkens was the only honoree lauded for both his coaching and playing talents he was named one of the NBAs Top Ten Coaches in league history as well as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.

Hall of Famer Earl The Pearl Monroe
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Hall of Famer Earl The Pearl Monroe

Earl Monroes twisting, spinning, faking, and dribbling exploits made him a cult hero and earned him the nickname "The Pearl." Under Hall of Fame coach Clarence Gaines, Monroe became a collegiate star of considerable stature at Winston-Salem State winning the College Division national championship in 1967. Monroe then dazzled professionally with the Baltimore Bullets where he and fellow Hall of Famer Wes Unseld created a devastating fast break not seen before in the NBA. In 1971, Monroe joined the New York Knicks where he and Walt Frazier formed an All Star celebrity backcourt that ultimately landed the Knicks the 1973 NBA championship.

Wayne Embry: The Front Office Pioneer
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Wayne Embry: The Front Office Pioneer

In 1971, Embry was named Milwaukee's general manager, becoming the first African-American to hold that position in the NBA. From 1985 to 1992, he was vice-president and general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and became the NBA's first African-American team president with the Cavaliers in 1994. In Cleveland's first 16 years, the Cavs averaged 31 wins and four playoff appearances, but under Embry's guidance the club averaged 45 wins and made nine playoff appearances over the next twelve years. In 2004 Embry was named Senior Basketball Advisor for the Toronto Raptors. The Sporting News named Embry the NBA Executive of the Year in 1992 and 1998.

Barrier Breakers: John Thompson
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Barrier Breakers: John Thompson

John Thompson with the Celtics won 2 back-to-back NBA Championships, but it was his turn as a coach where his impact became immeasurable. He moved on to Georgetown where he took a team struggling and turned them into national champions. In his storied, 27-year career at the university, he won nearly 600 games, made 24 consecutive postseason appearances, won seven Big East tournament championships, and 26 of his players made it to NBA. For Big John, long known as a stickler for community involvement and educational pursuit, there was an even more impressive stat to be proud of; 75 of the 77 players under his tutelage who stayed at Georgetown all four years received their college degrees.

Hall of Famer EB Henderson
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Barrier Breakers: EB Henderson

Edwin Bancroft Henderson introduced Washington, D.C. to basketball in 1907, the game was less than 2 decades old. Basketball was largely segregated. He knew that basketball and other sports might open doors that were otherwise closed to his race. In 1904, Henderson helped establish the Interscholastic Athletic Association. The ISAA became the governing body for sports, and basketball was a top priority. Teams playing under the ISAA flourished, and Henderson’s own 12th Street YMCA team went undefeated in 1909-10 earning him the unofficial title of Colored Basketball World Champions. Henderson devoted his entire life to the development, promotion, and improvement of the game of basketball.

Hall of Famer Zack Clayton
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Barrier Breakers: Zack Clayton

Zachary Clayton was a star guard who came to be known as one of the greatest two-way players of the Black Fives Era. As a member of the New York Rens, he was a leading scorer who helped the team finish a 122-win season with a championship in 1939. He went on to win a second title with the Washington Bears, before enjoying successful careers as both as a baseball player and boxing referee, the latter of which saw him refereeing the famed Ali-Foreman fight, The Rumble in the Jungle, in 1974.